Meaning & use
chiasmus
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Meanings
nouncountable or uncountabletechnical
A rhetorical device in which two parallel phrases are repeated in reverse order to create a balanced effect.
Grammar: Can be used as a countable noun (a chiasmus) or uncountable (the use of chiasmus).
Patterns
- use chiasmus
- an example of chiasmus
- in chiasmus
The poet's use of chiasmus creates a mirror-like symmetry in the lines.
In the sentence 'She went to Paris, and to London she went,' the structure is a chiasmus.
Rhetorical chiasmus often appears in political speeches to make phrases memorable.
nouncountabletechnical
An instance of such a reversed structure in language or literature.
Grammar: Countable: you can say 'a chiasmus' or 'chiasmi' for more than one.
Patterns
- a chiasmus in
- create a chiasmus
The line 'Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country' is a famous chiasmus.
The critic identified several chiasmi in the poem's final stanza.
Word forms
| plural | chiasmi |
|---|---|
| plural | chiasmuses |
Common combinations
- rhetorical chiasmus
- The essay analyzed the rhetorical chiasmus in Martin Luther King Jr.'s speech.
- use chiasmus
- Skilled writers often use chiasmus to emphasize a contrast.
- example of chiasmus
- Can you give me an example of chiasmus from a famous poem?
- chiastic structure
- The novel follows a chiastic structure, with events mirroring each other.
Synonyms and how they differ
- antimetabole
- A specific type of chiasmus where the same words are repeated in reverse order, like 'eat to live, not live to eat'; chiasmus is the broader term.
- inversion
- A general term for reversing order; chiasmus is a particular kind of inversion used for rhetorical effect.
Word family
- chiastic adjective
- Relating to or characteristic of chiasmus.
Commonly confused: chiasmus or chiasma?
chiasmus vs chiasma
In biology, a chiasma is the point where chromosomes cross over; chiasmus is a figure of speech.
Practice
Which sentence contains a chiasmus?
Choose one answer.
Option 2 reverses the structure 'what your country can do for you' to 'what you can do for your country,' which is a chiasmus. Option 1 is a simple parallel, not reversed; options 3 and 4 have no repetition or reversal.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “chiasmus”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.